Insane price of Pentax 85mm1.4

Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
$1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
price of lens have really gone up lately.

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dtong22 wrote:
> Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
> was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
> $1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
> end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
> on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
> wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
> Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
> price of lens have really gone up lately.

I've seen this before. I think "I need an xyz". Look on eBay and see
one, only to note that it is bidding higher than I can buy one new!
I've got no answer for this phenomenon, except to think that there are
some strange people out there. :-(

John Fryatt wrote:
> I've seen this before. I think "I need an xyz". Look on eBay and see
> one, only to note that it is bidding higher than I can buy one new!
> I've got no answer for this phenomenon, except to think that there are
> some strange people out there. :-(

It's called "due dillegance". Most people don't bother with it. They assume
that if it is on eBay, it's cheaper there than anywhere else. They never
bother to look.

As an example, I was looking at a particular lens, it sold at KEH for
$50, with a box, caps and instruction book in excelent condition. KEH
had several of them some a little more ($2-$3) some in bargain condition
for $40. All included a 90 warranty and reasonable shipping costs.

The same lens on eBay went for about $60.

The only bargain I saw on eBay was an F90 with the lens included that
went for $120. I have no idea of the condition of either, so it may
not have been the bargain I think it was.

Geoff,
That is not a good example compared with insane bid-up of an used lens
($1,100) compared with a brand new one ($800)
Also a simple shipping cost difference could explain a little
deviation of $10.
The example I made was plain to see.
Daniel
>As an example, I was looking at a particular lens, it sold at KEH for
>$50, with a box, caps and instruction book in excelent condition. KEH
>had several of them some a little more ($2-$3) some in bargain condition
>for $40. All included a 90 warranty and reasonable shipping costs.

dtong22 wrote:
> Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
> was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
> $1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
> end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
> on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
> wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
> Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
> price of lens have really gone up lately.
>
> Daniel

Was the buyer in the US ? Photo gear is cheaper in the US than in Europe so
stuff that's dearer than "new" in the US may still be cheaper than "new" in
Europe.

dtong22 wrote:
> Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
> was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
> $1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
> end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
> on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
> wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
> Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
> price of lens have really gone up lately.

Not just eBay. I was looking on craigslist.org for a lens, and the
seller was adamant about being firm on the price, which was higher than
the lens cost new. He sold it at the higher price. He was happy, I could
buy the new lens at Amazon for less, and the buyer of the used lens was
happy, though naive.

It's almost the rule, rather than the exception, that you pay more for
stuff on eBay than you pay elsewhere.

I've purchased stuff on eBay, but usually only when the item simply
isn't sold anywhere else. I needed a specific new plumbing fixture, and
I couldn't find it at any store, on-line or brick and mortar, but it was
on eBay.

Could have something to do with avoiding a customs charge for "new" items.

> Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
> was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
> $1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
> end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
> on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
> wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
> Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
> price of lens have really gone up lately.
>
> Daniel

"dtong22" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Can somebody explain to me? This is around 5 pm EST Saturday . And I
> was looking at the ebay bid of a Pentax FA85mm 1.4. It is now over
> $1,000 and still one hour to go which means that the sales probably may
> end up over 1,100 pl shipping from Portugal. Yet B&H price is just $800
> on back order though. Big deal that it is on back order and you have to
> wait . Also 77mm limited 1.8 is $700 available right now brand new.
> Just not real with that much of a premium ? It is just insane The
> price of lens have really gone up lately.
>
> Daniel
>
This kind of thing happens all the time.
Jim

Mike wrote:
> Could have something to do with avoiding a customs charge for "new" items.

Possibly.

Israel and all of the E.U. countries calculate the taxes based upon the
price paid. If it is a used item they use a depreicated value.

If something is sold on eBay, the seller will declare the value of the
item. Here, if the customs people don't agree they will ask you to
show up at their office and open the package in front of you.

If you can prove that you paid $10 for a lens, they will let you go.
If you can't prove anything, they will look at the lens and come up with
a price. If it looks new, comes in a box, has caps, an instruction book
and a warranty card, they will charge you taxes based on the new price.

A friend of mine once bought me a used 2 speed CD-ROM drive I needed for
an old computer. He happened to have a box from a brand new one,
complete with foam packaging, so he sent me the old drive in the new
box and packaging

I could not convince the guy in customs that the drive in his hand was
worth the $29 declared for it and had to pay duty on $150 which was more
than the drive and the airmail postage. After all, who would pay $25
postage for a drive that cost $25?

I'm not even going to go into the time I paid $50 for 10 used cell phones
over the internet..........

SMS <> wrote:
>
>It's almost the rule, rather than the exception, that you pay more for
>stuff on eBay than you pay elsewhere.

That has not been my experience. I do see stuff that goes for
prices that I just have to laugh at (both high *and* low). But
the vast majority of it falls right into line with what it is
*worth*. But /many/ items go through price cycles, depending
on supply and demand.

With photographic equipment it is *highly* recommended that
before making a purchase (or selling an odd item?) that one
should do a bit of research... not just on what the value of
that item is, but what the availability and the pricing has been
*on* *eBAy*. Watching prices go and down in cycles on many
commonly available items, and waiting for the demand to be low
is often worth real money.
>I've purchased stuff on eBay, but usually only when the item simply
>isn't sold anywhere else. I needed a specific new plumbing fixture, and
>I couldn't find it at any store, on-line or brick and mortar, but it was
>on eBay.

Certainly one of the real advantages of eBay is getting access
to sellers all across the spectrum (geography, quality, goods).

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> A friend of mine once bought me a used 2 speed CD-ROM drive I needed for
> an old computer. He happened to have a box from a brand new one,
> complete with foam packaging, so he sent me the old drive in the new
> box and packaging
>
> I could not convince the guy in customs that the drive in his hand was
> worth the $29 declared for it and had to pay duty on $150 which was more
> than the drive and the airmail postage. After all, who would pay $25
> postage for a drive that cost $25?

"mfshadow" <> wrote in message
news:...
> And the idiots on ebay will gladly bid past retail on ANY photo item
> just to be the "winner".
>
There is a very good answer to this.....Become a "seller", and let those
idiots bid up your stuff......

On Mon, 6 Feb 2006 19:51:04 +0000 (UTC), (Geoffrey
S. Mendelson) wrote:
>Mike wrote:
>> Could have something to do with avoiding a customs charge for "new" items.
>
>Possibly.
>
>Israel and all of the E.U. countries calculate the taxes based upon the
>price paid. If it is a used item they use a depreicated value.
>
>If something is sold on eBay, the seller will declare the value of the
>item. Here, if the customs people don't agree they will ask you to
>show up at their office and open the package in front of you.
>
>If you can prove that you paid $10 for a lens, they will let you go.
>If you can't prove anything, they will look at the lens and come up with
>a price. If it looks new, comes in a box, has caps, an instruction book
>and a warranty card, they will charge you taxes based on the new price.
>
>A friend of mine once bought me a used 2 speed CD-ROM drive I needed for
>an old computer. He happened to have a box from a brand new one,
>complete with foam packaging, so he sent me the old drive in the new
>box and packaging
>
>I could not convince the guy in customs that the drive in his hand was
>worth the $29 declared for it and had to pay duty on $150 which was more
>than the drive and the airmail postage. After all, who would pay $25
>postage for a drive that cost $25?

Didn't the fact that the device *in* the box didn't match the
description *on* the box mean anything?
I mean, if the box was for a BelchFire 32X burner, and the device in
the box was a SlowLane 2X burner, doesn't that mean anything?
Especially with an invoice that is for a SlowLane 2X burner?
>
>I'm not even going to go into the time I paid $50 for 10 used cell phones
>over the internet..........
>
>Geoff.

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Mike wrote:
>> Could have something to do with avoiding a customs charge for "new"
>> items.
>
> Possibly.
>
> Israel and all of the E.U. countries calculate the taxes based upon the
> price paid. If it is a used item they use a depreicated value.
>
> If something is sold on eBay, the seller will declare the value of the
> item. Here, if the customs people don't agree they will ask you to
> show up at their office and open the package in front of you.
>
> If you can prove that you paid $10 for a lens, they will let you go.
> If you can't prove anything, they will look at the lens and come up with
> a price. If it looks new, comes in a box, has caps, an instruction book
> and a warranty card, they will charge you taxes based on the new price.
>
> A friend of mine once bought me a used 2 speed CD-ROM drive I needed for
> an old computer. He happened to have a box from a brand new one,
> complete with foam packaging, so he sent me the old drive in the new
> box and packaging
>
> I could not convince the guy in customs that the drive in his hand was
> worth the $29 declared for it and had to pay duty on $150 which was more
> than the drive and the airmail postage. After all, who would pay $25
> postage for a drive that cost $25?
>
> I'm not even going to go into the time I paid $50 for 10 used cell phones
> over the internet..........
>
> Geoff.

A better question is, "What business does the government have charging you
taxes on such a transaction, anyway?" Do they charge you income tax? - If
so, then they have already taxed you once on your money, so what gives them
the right to tax you for it again when you try to spend what you have left
over after they have already taxed you for it the first time? Sales taxes
should be illegal. They restrict trade, and are therefore regressive in that
they discourage people from doing business with one another, which generates
jobs and more tax money for the government. They shouldn't even tax you for
buying brand new items, much less for buying used stuff. Just how does your
swapping some item with your neighbor increase the governments costs of
providing you with education for your kids, or a standing army for your
protection, or for anything else that government provides? And if it
doesn't, then what business does the government have in taxing it?

Bill Funk wrote:
> Didn't the fact that the device *in* the box didn't match the
> description *on* the box mean anything?
> I mean, if the box was for a BelchFire 32X burner, and the device in
> the box was a SlowLane 2X burner, doesn't that mean anything?

They were both Compaq CD-ROM drives. :-( He also said that it,
and another used part in the box could not have been used because
they were not covered in dust.

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